100 Themes Challenge: Bruce x Darcy Edition
by Greeneyedhope
Summary: the 100 themes challenge with the avengers gang - focusing mainly on either Bruce, Darcy or both
1. Introduction

**1. Introduction**  
><strong>Summary: Darcy and Bruce meet for the first tim<strong>e

When Darcy first meets one of the scientists she would now be working for, its in SHIELD's New York headquaters. Stark is getting his whooped for snooping through the files again. Well, he hacked into them.  
>That's how he discovered one Darcy Paige Lewis - at the time of the meeting, she's 26 years old and failing in the attempt to get her iPod back. Bruce makes a mental note to help her later.<p>

Tony doesn't tell Bruce what he knows about Darcy from her file - only that she tased Thor - which said god is laughing at even now.  
>Bruce knows Tony is hiding something - the fluffy doctor watches Darcy closely. He sees her long sleeved jumper, her trousers with ridiculously long edges that drag across the floor.<p>

As he's introduced to her, Bruce knows.

He watches the cloth ride up her arm, only showing a bit of her bare arm but its enough for Bruce to visualise the rest -  
>A hint of a big purple bruise that never seemed to have faded, winks at him and he smiles at her, knowing all too well.<br>"I'm Darcy Lewis, Doc" She grins and happily shakes his hand

Oh he knows.  
>The smile, the pain in her eyes... Bruce knows. They've only been introduced for a mere 30 seconds and he knows. Oh god, he knows what she's been through<p>

And his name just doesn't seem enough to comfort her


	2. Love

2. Love  
>Summary: Bruce Banner doesn't really know what love is… Until the moment he almost loses her<p>

Bruce never really knew love – his abusive father killed his mother and got admitted to a mental asylum. Most people nicknamed it 'The Loony Bin' or 'Looney Tunes', which even Bruce couldn't help but chuckle at, despite his situation. Bruce then grew up with his cousin and even that didn't change anything, he was still the shy nerd who knew everything and knew to keep his trap shut for the good part of his life.  
>Then, one day at graduation, he made one remark and ended up nursing a black eye for a few months – quite a while since he was last beaten in school. He'd even counted the days<p>

The first woman he had ever thought he truly loved was one Betty Ross and what a woman she was. Absolutely stunning with everything and anything she looked at or did. She adored science; Bruce loved the way her eyes sparkled with her enthusiasm as they spoke of the experiments they did and would do. The way she looked at him and laughed at his awful jokes… The way she looked, sleeping peacefully in his shabby, shitty bed. The way she eased every ache in his body… Before slapping him in the face with a pillow to wake him up.

Then a green alter ego comes along and shatters every dream he has, every hope and every thread of mentality ripped to shreds in front of his eyes. His heart tells him to stay but he knows it's not safe, he goes on the run and that's how it stayed for almost 6 years, 5 years on the run; wandering across Europe to India where he hid. Hid from her, hid from the monster he had become – tried to hide but it was no use.

He never really knew what love was, he'd never got the chance experience it, every chance he had, had been taken away from him and because of who he was, because of The Other Guy he knew all hopes had been dashed. He had to play against new rules, had to monitor his every step to avoid making one Hulk-sized mistake. He thought he had a chance of succeeding; he'd tried so hard…

Then his entire world came crashing down in the form of SHIELD, Tony Stark and definitely, definitely one Darcy Paige Lewis. Bruce had found out the truth about her from the woman herself, not from the file Tony found of her. He didn't need a file to know the truth. And she had someone to talk to, they had someone to talk to and it was nice…The purple bruise he had seen on her arm was just one of many bruises and scars across her body. Not from drug abuse, no she wasn't stupid to do that. Darcy was clumsy, yes but even so the bruises would never be that big.

Darcy said it happened in the street one night, a drunken guy who thought it would be okay to hit on her and then get violent when she shunned him. Well, that was Darcy's story anyway. Bruce knew the truth. He could tell, he'd seen it before. Experienced it before… The other bruises, the older ones, Bruce could definitely tell they were abuse marks and it pissed him the fuck off. He didn't know who exactly had done this to her, but he was angry and had so many questions. For example, why Darcy? Whoever had done this to her would pay, Bruce would protect her.

One day the truth finally came out. The rule book goes flying out the window, the Other Guy bursting forward from the back of Bruce's mind at the sight before him. Darcy had told Bruce it was just a friend she was meeting out of town but even her voice betrayed her once well-told lie. That was the first sign Bruce knew, that something was up and when he found her six foot tall father standing over her with a baseball bat, enough was enough.

Darcy was told she wasn't good enough, she was a worthless failure to her family – her brother, her mother… everyone. She was a good girl with good grades not abusers and druggies like the rest of her family, they were abusing drugs and she wasn't. Bruce knew there was something going on, he knew Darcy wasn't taking drugs… but he wasn't far off with his guess of the situation. Darcy had taken it all in her stride, she knew she was a hell of a lot better than the rest of them – yet still gave them the money that they wanted and that's all she was to them, what they needed her to be – a cash cow.

They kept her face intact when they beat her so she could still have her good looks to bring in the money; half expecting her to become a prostitute to get the money. At least what the family said, they said it's all Darcy was good for. It made Bruce sick… and then it hit him. Not only had she come to New York because SHIELD had asked (well, forced) her to, because she worked for Jane… But for the fact she needed saving, just like the rest of the Avengers. She was searching for a place she could call home, somewhere where she felt like she could belong.

And his heart almost stopped when he heard why Darcy had come back to her family – she didn't want any part in what they wanted her for. And right then, she confessed. Confessed she loved Bruce, not knowing he was watching from the doorway, sad puppy-like eyes looking at her which turned green as the bat came crashing down on her small, fragile body.

Bruce didn't even give a shit when the Other Guy proceeded to beat the living crap out of her family – he only cared about his Darcy, his young, beautifully amazing assistant. His Darcy, the Other Guy had decided. And Bruce couldn't help but agree more. He held her in his arms, watching her brilliant blue eyes scan the room, smiling as she felt soft, gentle sausage-like fingers caress her face.  
>"Hi big guy" she whispered "You heard, huh?"<br>He could only nod and let out a soft whimper as he gently cupped her, his fingers gracing the bruises and scars up and down her entire body.  
>"I guess you know my secret then, Doc." She tries to laugh but throws up blood, scaring the Other Guy and Bruce himself. He could have hurt her more, could have made things a lot worse but he didn't.<br>"Darcy going to be okay?" the Other Guy asks slowly.  
>Darcy nods slowly, cupping his face.<br>"Yeah, I've got you and Brucie. You… and Bruce…" she falls asleep in his arms, tired from everything and The Other Guy carries her home gently

When Bruce comes to a few hours later and finds Hulk on the news for carrying Darcy the entire way back to the tower, casually strolling through New York and not hurting anyone, he can only look over at Darcy who is sleeping peacefully and not regret a thing.

Bruce Banner claims he doesn't know what love is, but in fact he does,

Love is being selfish and disobeying the rules for once. (though, the same could not be said for Tony who broke the rules all the time, for Pepper. And for himself, mostly.)

Love is everything in front of him; love is in the form of his assistant

Love is perfect.

And Bruce wouldn't change her for the world.


	3. Light

3. Light  
>Summary: Sometimes, in your darkest hours, you need a little someone to be your light, someone to guide you back home<p>

He didn't exactly know what was going on, until everyone started screaming - debris and mechanical bots flying through the air as they proceeded to destroy chunks of New York. He groaned but could feel The Other Guy pushing forwards, his roar deafening and ringing in his ears. He looked around and when he found that the woman he was with and who he was looking for, had fled the building - he was happy. Knowing she'd get to safety.

Robert Bruce Banner's darkest hours are the ones where he loses control of himself, lets the green envelope him and grow - grow bigger than anything human. Most people see him as a monster - people who want to use him for his powers, for evil. Bruce and the Other Guy know they are a monster, but they know how to be good. Thats all they ever wanted to be, to be good and to be something... Anything... But a monster.

And he knows a few who try to make him feel loved, a few who did love him but are long gone now. All because of him, all because he couldn't see... Couldn't see that not everyone sees him as a monster.

When the fighting is over and all the bad guys have been dealt with, they expect him to just shrink down - for the Other Guy to just leave and have the fluffy scientist come back to reality. Except he doesnt. He looks around, seemingly waiting for someone or something...When a heavily pregnant Darcy Lewis approaches him with a smile on her face, he smiles back. She's safe, sound and unhurt and he's happy. God, he is happy.

Then, and only then when she is safe does the light begin to come back - he is lead home and wakes up a few hours later, curled around his pregnant girlfriend who is smiling at him and he kisses her. Sometimes in his darkest hours, Robert Bruce Banner finds out that the light in his life is never too far away, the light is what guides him home. Something he never had... Until now


	4. Dark

4. Dark  
>Summary: They say opposites attract and they both seem to save each other<p>

Darcy hated it when she looked at herself in the mirror in the light, without the makeup on. Each scar and permanent bruise was a reminder of her past, what she'd been saved from and it hurt, hurt to see what she had become. She called herself 'The Ragdoll Assistant' to which that would usually be met with grunts and whispers of displeasure from one particular scientist – her fluffy boyfriend Bruce Banner.

In the darkness, he'd watch her silently letting her own fingers trace each of the bruises on her legs, not looking at her own face in the mirror. Didn't want to see the tears that stained her cheeks, not wanting to face what she'd become. It breaks his heart to see her like this – in the dark, silent. Uncharacteristic for the bubbly, happy music-loving assistant everyone had come to love and adore.

He takes his time comforting her – slow, gentle kisses trail down her neck, his huge arms are strong and warm and delicate as they pick her up and settle her in lap – She doesn't say a word, yet looks up at him. Blue orbs of light sparkle with tears she's trying to hold back and he kisses her. A small whimper escaping her lips and she starts to cry. Bruce lets her. He lets her cry about how she's supposed to be the strong one, how she's supposed to be the glue that holds the team together, like they're family to her. They're all one big family she needs to take care of, she talks of how she's not supposed to be… Ugly

Bruce stops her at that. He tells her that she is beautiful; she always has been and always will be and he tells her that honestly, in his eyes she is the sweetest thing to walk the earth and into their lives. He loved the smell of her hair – the smell seemed to be of honey and roses and he knew the Other Guy liked it.

It's funny, she says. The both of them have seen their darkest days and even now, in literal darkness, there's a little bit of light between them – in each other.

Bruce understands. Dark and light go hand in hand together and the both of them have experience of both, many many times. She looks up at him and asks

"What do you see in me? I'm just an assistant, nothing more…"

And he laughs, tells her she's wrong and tells her with all honesty in his heart, everything he likes about her. He says he sees no faults in her, no faults in her at all. She is a star, in his eyes. For staying so strong and caring for people like she does and Darcy almost starts crying again and Bruce knows.

Bruce knows, just like him, nobody has ever been this kind to her before. This…honest. He realises they have so much in common, their lives are filled with so much darkness.

But they have to thank their past, the darkness.

Because it brought them to the light. Their light

Home.


	5. Seeking Solace

5. Seeking Solace  
>Summary: He promised himself he would never get close to anyone ever again; he promised himself that he would always be alone for the safety of his friend. One woman manages to change that<p>

He hated General Ross. Hated him with an absolute passion, so much that he had got to the point where he didn't care what the Other Guy did to him. The old, psychotic bastard never gave up chasing him – wanting to use the Other Guy for power, that's all Ross was hell-bent on – the Other Guy in the wrong hands would be… Obliteration of everything and anything.  
>Bruce remembered each day vividly – a constant war between the two, an innocent man VS a mad army general. It seemed like a movie cliché but for Bruce it was all too real and to make matters worse, he'd fallen in love with said general's daughter, Elizabeth 'Betty' Ross. He wanted to spend his life with her – wanted kids, the lot… Before the accident, he was going to propose to her and now he told himself he had to leave her for her own good and so he ran. Ran and never looked back, no matter how much it hurt to hear her scream his name.<p>

All he wanted now; all he knew he could have was solitude – a place to be alone where he could hide and not hurt anybody. Hide the monster away from the world. It took him five years to settle in a place where Ross had not found him yet, in Calcutta which is in India. It was the only place he could blend in where he could help the others in the poor, rural areas and still be alone and he told himself it was for the best.  
>Yet every time he saw a child or a family walking down the street, it broke his heart into a million pieces which he just left lying there on the dirty floor. If only he had stayed, if thing's hadn't have fucked up so badly, he and Betty could have had a chance. He pictured a small boy around the age of six with her eyes, her smile and his 'fluffy' yet scruffy hair. He heard her voice calling out to him and had to shaking his head, holding back the tears that desperately needed and wanted to fall. He vowed to move on, to be alone and live alone as Bruce told himself it was for the best… And still, he knew he had hurt her, hurt his precious Elizabeth by leaving her.<p>

He'd just, almost forgotten about Betty Ross when the events of the Battle of New York happened. Natasha, the not-so surprisingly sexy redhead Russian assassin had come for him and it had turned out SHIELD had been watching him all this time, constantly following his every move and Bruce had to wonder, was he really that easy to track? He wondered, but he didn't ask. The crib in the house Natasha had cornered him in was still fresh in his mind.

"I don't always get what I want." He said as the memories came rushing back to him. It hurt him too much to even hear her name, let alone talk about her or think of her.

After the battle of New York, he tried to run and hide again. Bruce always said he knew it was for the best, so he kept repeating the phrase in his head. He didn't even plan on saying goodbye and he didn't want to in the first place. He had forgotten about SHIELD, had forgotten that they track the most dangerous people on the planet – so to find Natasha with the whiny billionaire Tony Stark next to her, really wasn't that all surprising. Bruce spent a good half hour trying to explain to them why it was better that he left them and then he gave up after Natasha punched him in the face. **Twice**. He knew there was no way they would listen.

So he gave in. Gave in and moved to the tower with Tony, Natasha and the others but he made sure he kept well away from the others and Tony made an entire floor of the tower he dubbed 'Avengers Tower', Hulk-proof and it was where Bruce went to be alone… but he never was alone, was he? Bruce kept to himself and became withdrawn, depressed and forgetful. Forgetting who he was while he was wrapped up in his work. He forgot the real Bruce Banner – only saw the monster.  
>And so many people used that word. 'Monster', it took Bruce back to the time where his father told him he was a monster, he got angry and… You know the story. You know what happened next. Now, he (being Bruce, not his dickhead of a father) realised he would never be free, never be alone and he wished that, that was the way things should and could be but he knew it would never be that way. So when Darcy Paige Lewis walked into his life thanks to the asshole he called his best friend, his entire world came crashing down.<p>

Bruce promised himself he wouldn't fall again, he wouldn't let someone in again – scared that he would screw up again, scared he'd… Kill her. But the way he looked at her was so painfully sweet, everyone could see it. And so did the bad guys. They watch the Other Guy in the streets react Darcy – hesitant as she helps citizens; he becomes protective of her, carrying her back to the tower to personally make sure she gets there safely and it's so sweet of him to do that but Bruce… Bruce pushes himself away, pushes Darcy away as he knows all to well what happened the last time something like this happened. He doesn't want her to get hurt but his fears can clearly be seen in his eyes… Those wide, cautious and caring eyes of his. But the bad guys hurt her and it was because of him.  
>Darcy is having none of the bullshit and confronts him – the two of them are alone on the Other Guy's private floor and she's standing there, telling him how much the both of them – even the Other Guy, means to her and how much of an absolute arsehole he is being. She says how much she loves the both of them and the tears are clearly falling down her cheeks. Darcy knows it's hard for him and she understands his fears but she knew how much trouble she was getting herself into when SHIELD sent her here, to them and she wants to help.<p>

Bruce stares at her and for once, he is speechless and yet he wants to tell her to go away, to leave him alone now he'd put her in danger and hurt by the bad guys, but he doesn't say a word. The scientist just stares at her, awestruck. He reaches out for her, reaches forward with a angry, evil-like smirk on his face like the Other Guy was taking over again, but it was all Bruce, no green guy. The smirk dominated his tired, worn out face and he looks at her darkly and with a low voice, grabbing her wrists he makes sure she gets the message about how dangerous he really is and why she really should stay away from him, just like everyone else does.  
>"You don't get it Darcy, you have no idea what it's like to be a monster – to be hunted down and used like a tool. I'm a ticking time bomb. How long before I hurt the others, how long before I hurt you?" his voice falters at the last word he says and Darcy can see the pain in his eyes. "Don't you see, Darce? I can't let you in… I can't and I won't. I won't hurt you. It's too dangerous to be around me, it's too dangerous… I'm dangerous."<p>

Bruce goes silent and the once strong, sexy scientist is now a shaking mess who is close to tears. Darcy cups his face gently with her hands.

"Hey." She whispered softly "You don't have to go through this alone Robert, I won't let you. You don't need to be alone anymore."  
>He crumbles, glad that he'd finally given in and let his frustration out but he hated himself for taking it out on Darcy. He lets Darcy take care of him and he sits there on the floor in her arms, wondering if he really could be with her forever.<br>Wondering if he really didn't have to be alone anymore


End file.
